Firefighters made progress on the more than 10,000-acre Hughes Fire Friday, which sent thousands fleeing after sparking near the Los Angeles County community of Castaic a day earlier.

The Hughes Fire has spread over 8,096 acres after starting just before lunchtime in Los Angeles County's Castaic Lake area on Wednesday.

Firefighters worked into the night to contain a blaze that sparked and quickly spread in northern Los Angeles County, prompting renewed fears of death and destruction in a region already decimated by historic wildfires this month.

The 10,396-acre Hughes fire reached 56% containment Friday as first responders made progress controlling multiple blazes burning in Los Angeles County, which is expected to receive rain over the weekend that could be capable of producing floods and mudslides in several burned areas.

The Hughes Fire burned some 10,176 acres but that figure held steady throughout the day as 4,000 firefighters dropped water and retardant from the air and used hand tools and hoses on the ground.

Blaze consumes 14 hectares per minute driven by wind gusts, threatening several residential areas of Santa Clarita

The Palisades and Eaton wildfires also continue burning in the Los Angeles area, leaving parts of Southern California with devastating fire damage.

The blazes have grown to more than 37,000 acres, killing at least 25 people and destroying thousands of structures.

A rapidly growing wildfire broke out some 80 km north of Los Angeles on Wednesday (Jan 22), burning 20 sq km, while two major fires burning in the metropolitan area f

Over 1,100 firefighters were “strategically pre-positioned” across Southern California to address "ongoing critical fire weather," Cal Fire said.

Firefighters continue to battle fires across Southern California as the area prepares for a presidential visit Friday and rain in the weekend forecast.